Minutes - 2/21/2002

Missouri Western State College
Faculty Senate Minutes
February 21, 2002


Call to order:

The meeting was called to order at 4:08 p.m. by Steven Greiert, Faculty Senate Vice President.

Senators present:

Larry Andrews, Brenda Blessing, Mike Cadden, Ben Caldwell, Bill Church, Steven Greiert, Marilyn Hunt, Mark Mikkelsen, Barry Nelson, Evan Noynaert, Sally Radmacher, Keith Rhodes, Mike Smith, Kelly Williams, Carolyn Windsor

Senators absent:

Robert Klostermeyer, John Tapia

Ex-officio members present:

James Scanlon, Missouri Western State College President

Guests present:

Judy Grimes, Kathyrne Mueller, Phil Mullins

Approval of minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting of February 7, 2002 were approved as submitted (Blessing).

Approval of agenda:

The agenda for today's meeting was approved with the deletion of the ad hoc grievance committee final report (Andrews).

Report from college president:

President Scanlon reported that there are two proposals in the Missouri Legislature which could result in a name change for Missouri Western State College. The House version would revise the name to "Missouri Western University," while the Senate version would revise the name to "Missouri Western State University." The House version appears more controversial than the Senate version and is opposed by the University of Missouri. The Senate version, as proposed by Senator Singleton, originally proposed only a name change for Southwest Missouri State University, but Senator Sidney Johnson is willing to amend the bill to include the Missouri Western State College name change. If the Senate version passes, the system of Missouri state higher education institutions would be constituted much the same as in other states. There has been much public interest stirred regarding this proposal. According to Scanlon, the name change for this institution is inevitable, now or later.

In addition, Scanlon reported that the core funding equity problem is still in the forefront, and that a report had been drafted for consideration. The facts are very much with MWSC regarding the inequity issue. However, there is also a separate inequity issue within the Missouri University system, which complicates our inequity issue; the Missouri University system is attempting to kill this issue. On the other hand, a current report from the National Association of College and University Budgets concerning how to weight graduate programs in budgeting considerations supports our position in this inequity issue.

Scanlon then reported that the search committee for Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs has recommended four candidates for consideration, from among the approximately fifty applicants. He will select three or four for on-campus interviews. Faculty Senate representatives will have the opportunity to interview each of the selected candidates. The curriculum vita for the selected candidates will soon be made available to all academic departments, and the interviews will be conducted before spring break.

In other matters, a new advertisement for registrar has been placed in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the college strategic plan is nearly ready for the printer and will be available in about a month for all to review, and the new brochure entitled Western Points of Pride (detailing successes of selected students and graduates) was distributed to senate members and will soon be widely distributed.

Report from Faculty Senate executive committee:

Senate Vice President Greiert, as residing officer in the absence of President Klostermeyer, reported that the Senate executive committee had met with President Scanlon on February 12, principally to discuss open budgeting matters. The executive committee is pleased to report that President Scanlon has been very receptive to hearing our proposals, questions and concerns. We look forward to continued close cooperation and communication in the open budgeting process.

Greiert expressed some concern due to the recent chairs meetings, wherein the chairpersons had been given preliminary information concerning possibly crucial decisions that might be forthcoming in meeting the current budget crisis, with the instructions that they (the chairs) were not to discuss these matters with their respective faculties until given further approval. The following day, after the proposals in question had gone forward, the chairs were then given permission to discuss these with faculty. This situation had, according to Greiert, put the chairpersons in a difficult and awkward position, which could possibly have been avoided had different tactics or methods been used in this situation. In Senator Greiert's words, "chairs are, frequently, merely conduits to the faculty for bad news." Some discussion followed, concerning this matter.

Preliminary general studies report:

Vice President Greiert then opened discussion of the preliminary general studies report. After some very brief discussion, Senator Mikkelsen moved to approve these changes to the college catalog (as specified below).

New business:

MOTION SB 01-02.03 (Mikkelsen): that the changes outlined in the General Studies Preliminary Report be approved and printed in the Missouri Western State College Catalog. (Reference Attachments B and C of Missouri Western State College Faculty Senate Minutes of February 7, 2002.)

Preliminary calendar committee report:

Senator Radmacher distributed a preliminary calendar committee report (Attachment A). After a brief discussion, led by Radmacher, the Senate then received the report with gratitude.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m. (Williams)



G. Barry Nelson
Faculty Senate Secretary